in this World it is not so evidently discerned Because God in Wisdom oft suffereth the wicked to prosper yea and to domineer over the Righteous Here the best men are ofttimes the worst used and most wronged Here the true Prophets of God are fed with bread and water in their Caves whilest the false Prophets of Baal fared plentifully at Iezabels Table Here Dives sits in his Palace cloathed richly faring sumptuously every day whilest Lazarus lyeth at his gate naked and hungry But then God will reader to every one according to his deeds When as Heaven and everlasting happiness shall be the lott of the righteous So hell and eternal horrour shall be the portion of the unrighteous Thus you see there will be a day of Judgement Oh how terrible will this day of Judgement be unto the unregenerate and wicked To them it will be a day of wrath a day of trouble and distress a day of darkness and gloominess Then shall the drunkard drink deepest of the cup of Gods wrath the fornicator and adulterer who burned with the fire of lust burn in the fire of Hell Then shall the glutton who gave himself up to the satisfying of his greedy appetite be pinched with hunger and parched with thirst not having a drop of water to cool his flaming tongue Then shall the worldling and covetous wretch feel his loads of ill-gotten goods sinking and drowning him in perdition and destruction pressing him down to the bottom of the infernal lake Ah sinner How doth it concern thee to retire into some secret place and there seriously to ponder on this day of judgement Ask thine heart this question Is it certain there will be a day of judgement or no If it be certain Oh then why do I not prepare for it by breaking off my sins and making my peace with God before that day come upon me why do I not labour for an interest in Christ by whom alone I can be freed from eternal death and condemnation why do I not now give all diligence to make my Calling and Election sure Oh sinner reason thus with thy self thou knowest not of what advantage a few such serious thoughts may be to thy soul. When Paul Preached to the Athenians he urged them to repent and turn from their sins from this very ground and reason Because the Lord had appointed a day in which he will judge the World in righteousness Oh repent therefore and turn ye from your wicked wayes for why will ye dye and perish eternally in your sins Seek unto the Lord while he may be found and call upon him while he is nigh Christ now stands knocking at the door of thine heart by the Ministers of his Word the motions of his Spirit and checks of thine own Conscience Oh give him speedy and willing entertainment The time will come when thou wilt knock with the foolish Virgins and shalt not be heard and repent with Iudas and not be accepted For the Lord will have his day when thine is past and a day of Iudgement for thy punishment that didst slight and reject the day of mercy for thine amendment II. For the Person who shall be the Iudge It is Christ that shall be Iudge who shall in a visible shape both judge and pronounce sentence upon all men as the sentence of absolution on the elect so the sentence of condemnation on the wicked Indeed judging the World being a work ad extra which is terminated upon or respects the creature it is common to the whole Trinity So that neither the Father nor the Holy Ghost are excluded but yet it is in Scripture more especially appropriated to the Son And that partly as a recompence of his humiliation and partly because the proceedings of the judgement being visible it seemed convenient that the Iudge himself should be conspicuous And therefore Christ in his humane nature shall judge the World and denounce the doom of condemnation against the wicked ones yet shall he do all as Immanuel God and man Oh how terrible will the sight of Jesus Christ as Iudge be unto all carnal and impenitent wretches who when they shall see him sitting upon the Throne whose gracious invitations they have slighted whose Ministers and Ambassadours they have wronged and contemned whose ordinances they have neglected and whom they have often crucified by their sins how then will their hearts be appalled with dread and terrour entreating the rocks and mountains to fall on them and hide them from the face of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. A poor believer on that day seeing Christ sitting upon the Throne may with comfort say Loe yonder is he who dyed to save me who shed his blood for my redemption and rose again for my justification and is now come to judge both the quick and the dead But thou who dyest in thy sins canst not but with much anguish of Spirit in that day cry out and say Loe yonder is he who came from Heaven to save poor lost sinners and who did Sabbath after Sabbath even all my life long by his Ministers wooe and bâ—seech me to abandon my lusts and to receive him as my Lord and Saviour to yield subjection unto him and his laws and to rest upon him alone for life and salvation who now would have received me into eternal bliss and happiness But I miserable wretch that I was did slight his woings and beseechings turning a deaf ear to the calls of his grace and preferred my lusts and corruptions bâ—fore the Lord and his salvation yea and all my life long opposed his Kingdom and government as quite contrary to my carnal heart and sensual pleasures wherein I took much content and delight This is the Iudge who now sits on life and death and from whom I must now receive my seâ—tence And oh what a fearfull sentence must I expect from such a wronged contâ—mâ—ed câ—raged righteous Iudge What will he award me whether will he seâ—d me Oh my sins my sins have cloathed his soul with fury against me O my soul what Talents of wrath and vengeance will this righteous provoked Iudge lay upon thee how will he bind thee in chains of darkness and setters of eternal fire Oh therefore that we were so wise as now in this our day and time of grace so to renounce boâ—h our own wickedness and righteousness as to joyn our selves to our Lord resigning up our souls to the government of his holy laws adventuring and relying upon the merit of his blood resolving to follow him in holiness that hereby we may make him sure to us against that terrible day III. For the Manner of Christs coming to Iudgement it will be as in great glory so in great terrour to the wicked and impenitent 1. Christ will come in great glory aâ—d Majesty even in the glory of the Father This is the most glorious work that Christ
how uncertain thou art of being out of Hell till the next morning Surely this consideration is enough to amaze any poor Christian who is indeed Regenerate but maketh some question thereof in himself How much more should it amaze and startle thee who art yet in thy carnal and sinfull estate and stir thee up without any farther delay to escape for thy life and make out in hast after thy Redemption from this dreadful condition I would ask thee this question Whether if thou shouldst put off thy seeking after the great work of Regeneration and conversion till another year week or day thou art sure to be then on this side the grave or on this side hell Certain it is thou hast no assurance of thy life for one day longer Nay I dare boldly say thou thy self knowest and believest as much Ah sinner what folly yea what madness is it then for thee wilfully to live one day longer in such an estate in which if thou shouldst dye thou art without hope of recovery undone for ever Obj. Haply thou wilt say though I am not sure to live another day yet I am likely being in good health and strength of body Answ. How many as strong and healthfull as thy self have suddenly by death been snatched away And why maist not thou be as soon taken away having no Lease of thy Life who then but a fool or a mad-man would adventure his eternal happiness upon such an hazard Oh therefore as thou tenderest the everlasting good of thy precious soul put not off this great and weighty work a day longer for who knoweth what a day may bring forth Hadst thou been taken away in the state thou art in how sad had thy case been where hadst thou been at this hour Certainly thou art not able to conceive the dreadfulness of that misery thou shouldst now have been in And hast thou lived all this while in so great danger and wilt thou live in it still God forbid Hath a miracle of mercy kept thee out of hell so long and wilt thou yet continue securely in such danger of it Oh ungratefull wretch Questionless if thou hadst any ingenuity in thee thou wouldst be ashamed thus to abuse the patience and long-suffering of God towards thee which should have led thee to repentance Thou shouldst rather take up a resolution and say though I have hitherto abused the patience and long-suffering of God I will abuse it no more Though I have often slighted and rejected the gracious invitations of Jesus Christ yet through the grace of God I will reject them no more but close with them and give up my self unto Christ from henceforth to be ruled and governed by him God hath allotted to every man who lives in the bosome of the Church a certain day of grace and time of repentance which whosoever neglects can never be saved Ah sinner as therefore thou wouldst not neglect thine own Salvation neglect not the day of grace neither let slip the season of mercy but as the Apostle exhorteth To day if you will hear his voice harden not your hearts Behold now is the accepted time now is the day of Salvation if that be once past there is no recovering it CHAP. VII Sheweth the miserable and dreadfull condition of the Vnregenerate in their life-time HAving given you some Motives to quicken up your desires and endeavours after the work of Regeneration I come now to shew you the Means on your part to be performed for the better attaining thereunto which may be brought to these two general heads 1. The Embracing some truths 2. The Practising some duties The Truths to be embraced are these 1. That every man in his state of unregeneracy is in a miserable state and dreadfull condition 2. That there is hope of mercy for the greatest sinners That you may the better understand the miserable condition of men in their state of Unregeneracy I shall shew you their miseries 1. In this life 2. At death 3. After death Their miseries in this life are briefly these I. They are Servants to sin and slaves to their lusts making it their main work and design to serve their sinfull flesh with its affections The baseness of this slavery under sin will appear the more if we shall consider 1. What it is we do inthrall thereby even our precious souls which at first were created after the Image of God and fitted for his noble service and communion with himself Now for this immortal Being to be a drudge to base pleasures and profits to the vain and vile things of this World is a most sad degeneration 2. What are the fruits of this spiritual bondage and slavery 1. At the best a little seeming pleasure or profit that lasts but for a moment which the Apostle calls the pleasures of sin for a season they are but of little worth and but of short continuance And sure it must needs be a point of folly eagerly to pursue these sinfull lusts and pleasures which are but light and temporary which do but appear and vanish to the hazard of those durable riches and eternal pleasures which are at Gods right hand 2. Another fruit which usually follows upon our slavish subjection to our lusts is death eternal according to that of the Apostle the wages of sin is death and that eternal as appeareth by the opposition of eternal life for saith the Apostle The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life So that as eternal life followeth an holy life so eternal death followeth a sinfull life This is the reward sinner that thy God whom thou servest will pay thee at last thou must dye the death Oh the folly and madness of this sensual enslaved World Surely were there nothing in sin but the present slavery it were enough to disswade any ingenuous spirit Who would be a slave a slave to a lust at the command of every unclean motion at the beck of every brutish affection But if the vileness of the work will not deterr thee will not the dreadfulness of the wages neither which is eternal death and condemnation Oh consider this you who make so light a matter of sin and take such pleasure in obeying the lusts thereof II. All men in the state of unregeneracy are servants and slavos to the Devil Which necessarily followeth upon the former for such as are in subjection to their lusts must needs be under the bondage and slavery of Satan in that the chief power he hath over us is by lust to allure us unto sin I know all men are apt to say that they hate and defie the Devil and abhor to be his slave or servant but yet in the mean time they obey his sinfull commands and thereby declare themselves to be his servants for as the Apostle speaketh Know ye not that to whom ye yield your selves servants to obey his servants ye are to whom ye obey And saith the
lake which burneth with fire and brimstone to all eternity Oh me-thinks the name of eternal judgement should if not fright him out of his wits yet awaken eyely unregenerate man out of his security and stir him up without further delay to abandon his wicked and ungodly course of life and to set upon the practice of all holy and religious duties and to labour therein to get the work of Regeneration wrought in his heart that he may become a new creature It may be thou hast a plentiful portion of this Worlds goods enjoying what thine heart can wish or desire But oh what will it profit thee to live plentifully and prosperously here and to be eternally miserable hereafter Thy former happiness will serve only to make thee more sensible of future miseries And therefore when thou art tempted to any unlawfull pleasure or profit reason thus with thy self Shall I for a short momentary pleasure that will soon have an end run the hazard of an eternal judgement that will never have an end shall I for a little profit here loose my soul to all Eternity What greater folly yea what greater madness can be imagined Thus much of the miseries of the Unregenerate in this life Come we now to shew their miseries at death CHAP. VIII Sheweth the miserable and dreadfull condition of the Vnregenerate at their death IF the life of an unregenerate man be so miserable as hath been shewed How dolefull think you will be his death surely his misery then will be much increased As will appear from the consideration of these particulars I. When death shall appear unto thee and tell thee it hath a message from the Lord who hath sent an habeas corpus for thy body Then comes in Conscience if a little awakened with her books of accounts her black and bitter roul and shews thee thy old reckonings and arrears setting before thee the follies of thy youth the sins of thy riper years and the iniquities of thy whole life Ah sinners thou who goest on impenitently in thy wicked and ungodly course of life consider with what a ghastly countenance thou wilt look upon that black and hellish Catalogue of all thy sins thy lyes and oaths thy railing and rotten speeches thy scoffings at Gods people thy goods ill gotten thy time ill spent thy profanation of Sabbaths thy speculative wantonness yea thy many actual filthinesses and uncleannesses thy pride worldliness and covetousness thy sensual revellings and jovial meetings Ah sinner sinner what horrour will then possess thy soul no heart of man can conceive nor tongue of men and angells can express Indeed many there are who upon their death-beds have little right or sense of their sins neither do they think of judgement or eternity but drop into hell before they consider any thing But yet upon the approach of death commonly there is some terrour and trembling upon the consciences of carnal men and if ever any sin did formerly sting it will then especially Oh methinks a serious apprehension and sensible fore-thought of these things even at hand for ought any man knows should make the hardest heart to tremble and melt into tears of unfained sorrow II. The Devil will not be then wanting to aggravate thy sins and to set before thee the curses and the judgements due unto thee for the same thereby to drive thee to despair For when death layeth siege to the body then doth he most violently assault the soul. And the shorter he perceiveth his time to be the more eagerly doth he bestir himself And when through pain of body and perplexity of mind thou art least able to make resistance then will he most fiercely assault thee Whereas formerly his great design was to â—ull thee fast asleep in a presumptuous security by perswading thee that thy state and condition was as good as the best and thy salvation sure enough at thy death if he be not then also pursuing the same design if he can no longer hold thee under thy sleep it will be his great work to perswade thee that thy sins are greater than can be forgiven that there is no place for thee in Heaven and that it is impossible thou shouldst be saved He that hath made the way to Heaven so broad and the entrance so easie all thy life long will at thy death do his utmost to shut the door against thee III. Death puts an end to all thy Worldly comforts and contentmâ—nts which must all die with thee as to thy use and comfort It salutes thee with this sad word Thou hast received thy good things Now an end of thy Heaven and joy Particularly 1. Then thou must part with all thy carnal pleasures and delights which thou hast loved so dearly Yea then thou wilt find little comfort remaining of all thy former pleasures wherein thou tookest so much content and delight and for the enjoyment whereof thou dispensedst not only with the duties of thy calling but likewise with the duties of piety Yea it will be a very hell unto thee upon earth to consider what eternal torments thou art like to endure for those poor and perishing pleasures which thou enjoyedst here for a season Are these the things for which I dye Are these the price of my soul of my blood of my peace Ah sinner the remembrance of thy past pleasures will then possess thee with a double passion First with grief because thou art parting with them And then with dâ—tâ—station because they have brought upon thee such bitter sorrows and torments in hell with the Devils and damned to all eternity O the tayle of these Locusts whose fair faces have heretofore bewitched thee O the sting the sting that they carry in their tayles which is now all that remains to thee 2. Thou must part with thy nearest and dearest relations as thy dear Wife or dear Husband with thy beloved Children Death will separate thee from them all Ah sinners sad will it be to part with these here to live for ever with the Devils and damned in hell And how will it torment thee when you must part to remember to how little good purpose you lived together 3. Thou must part with thy wealth and riches carrying nothing away with thee of all thy enjoyments We brought nothing into the World and it is certain we can carry nothing out as the Apostle speaketh But as we came naked into the World so we shall go naked out of the World And therefore when rich men dye they are said to leave a good estate behind them And indeed they may well be said to leave it because they cannot carry it away with them Ah sinner I know it will be a death to thee to part with thy wealth which was thy life but to consider how thou hast damned thy soul for the getting thereof this will be an hell to thee 4. Thou must part with all the means and opportunities of grace Now thou enjoyest the ordinances of
saw him to be amongst them that murthered him that went deeper to his heart than the swords of all his enemies did or could In like manner the sins of Gods Children are greater in his sight and do more grieve him than the sins of other men II. Consider thine high and holy calling Thou art called out of darkness into light out of the Kingdom of Satan into the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Shall there be no difference betwixt the Children of the Kingdom and the Children of the wicked one betwixt Gods servants and the Devils slaves Art thou one of the called of God oh how doth it concern thee to follow the counsel of the Apostle to the Ephesians namely to walk worthy of the Vocation wherewith thou art called that is suitable to the dignity and purity of it 1. Thy calling is an high calling And therefore as men called to high places carry themselves answerably thereunto In like manner thou being called to be a Christian it is thy duty that thou maist not disgrace thy holy profession and that worthy name by which thou art called to carry thy self becomingly and suitably to it by hating every sin labouring daily in the mortifying every lust and corruption keeping thy self unspotted of the World 2. Thy calling is an holy calling the end thereof is holiness For God hath not called us unto uncleanness but unto holiness Now an holy calling ought to be accompanied with an holy life and conversation Being called from darkness to light from sinfulness to holiness from the flesh to the Spirit from Satan to God is it not most meet thou shouldst cast off the unfruitfull works of darkness and walk as a Child of light That thou shouldst no more give thy members as Servants unto sin but as Servants unto righteousness That thou shouldst no more fulfill the Lusts of the flesh but walk in the Spirit after the motions thereof This is to walk worthy of the vocation whereunto thou art called III. Consider the many great and singular priviledges God hath vouchsafed unto you Being raised above the condition of other men it beseemeth not you to act as the men of the World but to live above their rate to be more Holy and Heavenly in your conversation more zealous for God more fervent in the performance of holy and religious duties The Lord expects greater matters and other manner of Service from you than from other men for he hath done more for you and bestowed more on you than upon all the World besides When you call to mind your priviledges reason thus with your selves Hath God made us partakers of such and such special mercies and singular priviledges Oh then what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and Godliness How ought we to walk worthy such singular priviledges by singularity of actions doing some singular things for God who hath dealt so singularly well for us As God hath abounded to us in his choicest mercies so he expects we should be abundant in singular duties CHAP. XIX Sheweth the singular good things which the Regenerate ought to do aboue others I. TO make Conscience of their precious time and to improve it to the best advantage Carnal men make little or no conscience of spending their time to any good advantage Oh the many golden hours and dayes and weeks and years that thousands of them spend who yet cannot give the least account wherein they have done any thing which tends to the glory of God the good of others or the farthering their own Salvation Their minds are so much set upon their carnal lusts and pleasures that their chief care is not so much how to improve their time as how they may pass it away in mirth and jollity That which when it is once gone all the World will not buy it back what a cheap thing is it accounted But oh how doth it concern such whom God hath called to prize the time which he is pleased to afford unto them and to be carefull in improving the same to some good advantage yea to gather up the fragments of time every inch of it that nothing may be lost We cannot well spare one spare hour O make the best of thy day To this end 1. Consider that thine everlasting state depends upon thy well or ill spending of thy time Many make light of their time and thereupon play and sport it away Yet there is no moment which thou dost mispend but for ought thou knowest it may be the very time upon which thine eternal state doth depend Oh what a madness must it needs be for an hour or dayes pleasure to hazard the loss of everlasting happiness and to incurr the danger of eternal misery And yet how few think of the passing away their time or that any great matter depends thereupon 2. Consider the preciousness of time which is of more worth than all the riches and treasures in the World for they cannot purchase one minute of time Should the Lord be pleased to vouchsafe unto a damned soul in hell but one weeks time to live again upon the earth for tryal how he would improve the same to his souls advantage Oh how highly would he prize it how carefully would he improve every moment thereof how serious would he be in every holy duty and in all the concernments of his soul how conscionable in spending of the Sabbath how watchfull would he be on that day over his thoughts words and actions Should he hear Christ tendred in the Ministry of the Gospel as a Saviour to poor sinners oh how readily would he close with the offer of Jesus Christ how heartily would he embrace him Should he be tempted by some carnal friends to spend one day with them in mirth and jollity how would he answer them Alas the time on which my everlasting condition doth depend is very short and must it not be egregious folly in me to trifle away part thereof Shall I implunge my soul into eternal flames for a little pleasure and short delight Oh God forbid And hereby may you see how precious time is Surely little reason have any to be so sparing of their wealth and so prodigal of their time when as all the wealth in the World as before is said cannot purchase one hours time 3. Consider how much precious time you have already lost how many hours and dayes and weeks and years you have trifled away in vanity and pleasure yea in sin and wickedness Though in likelihood the greatest part of your time is past and gone yet it is to be feared that little of your work is done Is it not meet then now to begin to make Conscience of your precious time and to improve it better The time which you have already lost can never be recalled O let no more of it run out in vain Oh think it too much that you have spent so much of it already to so little
to use those delights for themselves and not for God or to use them more for gain than for refreshment they are thereby turned into sin In like manner sometimes to feast with our friends and neighbours is lawfull but to be too frequent therein or intemperate feeding without fear as the Apostle Iude hath it never tasting the sweetness of God in the Creature nor having respect to that communion which should be amongst Saints is to abuse Gods good Creatures So to be diligent in the works of our calling is in it self both lawfull and commendable But when we shall be so diligent in our particular calling that we neglect the duties of our general calling as Christians I mean when we are so taken up with our Worldly businesses and imployments that we can find no time for serving God either secretly in our Chambers or privately with our families is to make our lawfull calling sinfull unto us Much more when we mingle fraud and deceit with our dealings and cannot be content with that gain that comes in by righteousness and honesty in all our wayes this is to turn our lawfull calling into a mysterie of iniquity The best of Gods Children are apt to use the lawfull things of this World unlawfully and to abuse them by their excess therein Did not our Saviour warn his Disciples that they should take heed of abusing as their meat and drink unto surfetting and drunkenness so their callings to worldliness and covetousness Take heed to your selves lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfetting and drunkenness and cares of this life Who would not have thought the Disciples of Christ far enough from these sins yet they must take heed to themselves therein If the green Tree may so easily take fire what will not the dry do Oh then how doth it concern us to set bounds to our selves in all lawfull things not to exceed either in our recreations or in our vocations or in our eating drinking and the like but to observe the golden mean the rather because the Devil in nothing more prevaileth with Gods people than in their immoderate and inordinate usage of things lawfull Knowing full well that the Godly will not easily be drawn to the committing of such things as carry wickedness in their foreheads he therefore layeth his snares for them in the use of things lawfull as their meat and drink their apparel and recreation their trading and traffick with the like Wherein his snares being not so visible he oftentimes prevaileth with them The Apostle declaring what a cruel crafty and malicious adversary the Devil is whom he setteth forth to be as a roaring Lyon that walketh about seeking to devour he thereupon adviseth us to be as sober in the use of things lawfull and indifferent so watchfull over our selves lest we be foyled therein For your better help herein take these few directions 1. In the free use of lawfull things be ever jealous of your selves lest you abuse them to intemperancy and excess This hath been the folly of many that presuming too much as on their Christian liberty so upon their own strength have adventured upon such temptations as have occasioned their fearfull falls 2. Labour to make a spiritual improvement of all those lawfull comforts which God hath affordâ—d to you for your delight And so whilest you refresh your bodies you will cherish your souls Thus in your eating and drinking often meditate of Gods bounty in providing so plentifully for you and not only take in meats but likewise give out gracious discourses and instructions For what can it be but egregious folly when you are feeding your bodies to neglect your souls In putting on your cloaths meditate on the robe of Christs righteousness which alone can make you amiable in the sight of God desiring with the Apostle to be found cloathed therewith at the great day 3. Consider that to use your lawfull comforts to the utmost extent is the next door to sin He who will go to the utmost extent of what he may lawfully do is in danger to go beyond it and to do also that which is unlawfull He who will walk upon the brink of a River may fall into the Water And he who will take the utmost liberty he may is very near falling into sin CHAP. XXII Of the danger of Covetousness as being the root of all evil ANother singular duty incumbent upon the Regenerate is To beware of Covetousness and over-loving the World as being the root of all evil I do not say that our hearts being changed and renewed we ought thereupon wholy to abandon the World and give over all Worldly businesses and imployments For grace and a worldly calling may very well stand together yea a man may be a sincere holy Christian and yet a great dealer in the World nay grace ingageth a man to be a good husband to improve the estate God hath bestowed on him But yet we ought not insatiably to desire and inordinately to hunt after riches as if they were the only things or the great things to be sought after this is Covetousness It is not the having of riches but the immoderate desiring and loving of them and overvaluing them which denominates a man Covetous A man may have much of this Worlds goods and yet be no Worldling And another may have little and yet be covetous This sin is especially in the heart Q. May not a Godly man desire riches seeing they are often in Scripture termed blessings which God hath promised as a reward of his Service A. There is a moderate desire of riches which is lawfull and an immoderate or inordinate desire which is unlawfull Then is our desire of riches moderate when we desire no more than is needfull and can be content to want that when God will have it so Q. What may be accounted needfull A. 1. That which is meet for the state and calling wherein God hath set us 2. That which is requisite for the charge committed to us As if a man have Wife and Children and Servants or Kindred lying upon his charge what is needfull and sufficient for them may be desired and sought after 3. That which is needfull for the future livelihood and maintenance of Wife and Children may lawfully be desired and sought after The Apostle layeth it down as a duty that Parents ought to lay up for their Children Besides this moderate desiring and seeking after riches there is an immoderate desiring and inordinate seeking after them As when a man is not content with that portion which God by his Providence doth afford unto him but insatiably thirsts after more And rather than fail of his desire will both neglect his God and his soul and also venture on the use of any unlawfull means as lying swearing false weights and measures with the like for accomplishing the same which is wickedness in any but especially in such as make a profession of Religion
Yet how many professors are there in our dayes who though they pretend much love to Christ yet by their practice it appears that their love of riches is greater and stronger than their love of him 1. For how are their thoughts more upon the World and the things thereof than on Christ No sooner are they awake from their sleep but the World presently takes possession of their hearts and their thoughts are upon their estate how they may encrease the same and that with unwearied care and labour when every little that is done for Christ is a weariness to them 2. How do their discourses run out more upon their riches than on Christ Yea with what freedom and delight do they talk of their wealth and of the means of getting and increasing the same And scarce a word of Christ all the day long Which doth clearly discover the covetousness which lyeth in their hearts for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh As the door-keeper said unto Peter Thou art surely of Galilee for thy speech bewrayeth thee So whosoever shall make the World the whole matter and subject of his discourse it may be truly said of him He is a Citizen of the World for his speech bewrayeth him 3. How eager and keen are their desires after the riches of this World or at least after a further portion and provision for themselves Wives and Children 4. How do they toyle and labour spending their sweat and strength in seeking after riches thinking no care and study too much nor pains too great for encreasing their wealth and store How do they rise earlyer for their Worldly businesses than for their Prayers or any spiritual exercises 5. How do they suffer the World to take up so much of their precious time that they can scarce find any leisure either for closet devotions or family Prayers but make their Religion give place to their Worldly businesses And when at any time they fall upon the performance of holy duties how are their hearts in that very time taken up with Worldly thoughts and imaginations So that insteed of conversing with God in his holy Ordinances and enjoying communion with him therein they converse with the World and hold communion with the Devil O what a shame is it for such as are brought out of darkness into marvelous light having their understandings inlightned with the knowledge of God and of his Son Jesus Christ and are able to discern the mysteries of Godliness that they should set their hearts and affections upon base and transitory things that they should lay out themselves so much in the pursuit of them and never think they have laid up sufficient of these earthly treasures What a shame is it for such as profess themselves the Sons of God to live like Sons of men as if their portion and happiness were only in this life That they who profess themselves Heirs to an Heavenly inheritance should so much dote upon earthly things what a shame is it for such as have reasonable souls capable of an everlasting life and of communion with God both here and hereafter should so far debase their natures as to live like Moles and Worms in the Earth and to root like Swine in mudd and dung Oh how doth it concern you daily to humble your selves for this sin and to loath and abhorr it and watch against it for the time to come For as every evill is to be abhorred so especially such as are disgracefull to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to the Religion which you profess Let us all therefore who have given our names unto Christ labour to mortifie this sin in us Let us use this World and the things thereof as if we used them not neither in our judgements esteeming nor in our hearts affecting nor in our practice seeking them before spiritual grace and Heavenly glory That we may be the better quickned up thereunto let us oft consider the manifold mischiefs that do usually follow and accompany this sin of covetousness I. It is the Root of all Evil. There is no evil which a covetous man will forbear his covetousness will put him upon the acting and committing all manner of sin that will serve his greedy design It will make a man turn the day of Sacred rest into a day of bodily labour It will make him use wicked ballances and deceitfull weights For this they are full of violence and lyes saith the Prophet Micah It oft-times raiseth Warrs and sets the World together by the ears It occasioneth the neglect both of our own and others souls It enticeth us into Hell for the sake of living plentifully on earth It causeth Parents to neglect the souls of their Children and Children to wish the death of their Parents It maketh people to hate their Ministers and Ministers to neglect their People II. Covetousness alienates the soul of man from God and that several wayes as 1. From the thought of God For God is not in all his thoughts When he awakes in the night his mind is wholly taken up with worldly matters without a thought of God or of any good thing When he is following the works of his calling how is he wholly drowned and swallowed up therein 2. It alienates the soul of man from the love of God For if any man love the World the love of the Father is not in him 3. It alienates the soul of man from attending upon God in his Ordinances As you may see in the invited guests in the Parable whose eager desire after the things of this World kept them from coming to the wedding feast III. Covetousness makes a man unthankfull for his present state and condition though in it self an estate very full and comfortable His mind is so much upon what he hath not that he neither takes notice nor tastes the sweetness of what he hath His full vessel in his own apprehension is an empty bottle Finding no contentment in what he hath he is full of murmuring and repining that he hath not what he would have Many a gracious poor man that hath little of this Worlds goods hath oftentimes more satisfaction and contentment in his little than he that hath the greatest earthly revenews in all his abundance IV. Covetousness works the heart to a mean and low esteem of things spiritual and heavenly From such as love the World and the things thereof over-much Christ to be sure hath love little enough Their eyes are so blinded that they see not his beauty and their pallat so distempered that they taste not his sweetness And therefore with Esau preferr a mess of pottage before a birth-right and with the men of Shechem preferr the bramble before the Vine the Olive and the Figg-tree Worldly men preferr these poor empty things the Brambles of the World before Jesus Christ the true and living Vine yea and above the blessed birth-right of Gods new-born Children Covetousness
not content at Bethel to worship God sincerely himself but he chargeth his Family to put away the strange Gods which were among them and to serve the true God according to the prescribed rule of his Word David though he were a King and so had the care of an whole Kingdom upon him yet thought his State-affairs no priviledge to exempt him from the Religious ordering and governing of his Family And therefore he professeth That he would walk within his house with a perfect heart that is sincerely discharge the duties belonging to the Governour of an house Yea under the Law we find that the Fathers amongst the Israelites were commanded to teach their Children the meaning of the Passover and of the Feast of unleavened bread And that we may not think this a legal precept abolished in the time of the Gospel the Apostle giveth a general charge to all Christian Parents to bring up their Children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Yea by the practice of the primitive Christians who lived in the dayes of the Apostles it doth appear that so soon as any Governour of a Family was converted and professed the Christian faith he still ingaged his Family to serve God It is said of Cornelius that he was a devout man and one that feared God with all his house And it is recorded of Lydia that she was baptized and her Houshold And it is said of the Iaylor that he believed in God with all his house Yea the houses of the faithfull in the primitive times were stiled Churches which implyeth that their private families were so piously ordered and religiously instructed that they seemed to be little Churches rather than ordinary houses having taken up Ioshuah's resolution As for me and my house we will serve the Lord. The point being thus proved by Scripture and Examples come we now to the Reasons for the farther confirmation thereof CHAP. II. The Reasons of the point R. 1. MAy be taken from the command of God who hath commanded as much saying Thou shalt teach my Laws diligently unto thy Children and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house c. And God hath manifested his approbation thereof by commending Abraham for commanding his Children and houshold to keep the wayes of the Lord. So that to whomsoever the Lord hath given this honour to make him a Father of Children a Master over Servants a Governour over an Houshold of them he requireth this duty to teach and instruct all under their charge R. 2. Every mans house is his private charge which he must oversee it is his flock which he must attend You will all acknowledge that every Ministers flock is his charge and that it is a most dreadfull thing for any to neglect them And have not you as great a charge of your family as the Minister hath of his flock Yea doubtless I dare boldly say that every Parent and Master of a Family is as deeply charged with the souls of their Children and Servants as the Minister is with the souls of his flock If therefore your Children and Servants live and dye in their sins through your negligence their blood will be required at your hands Yea let Parents and Masters of Families know and consider that those Children and Servants who by the neglect of their duty to them shall perish in their sins will curse them for ever hereafter amongst the fiends and damned in hell crying out woe and alas that ever we were born of such irreligious Parents and served such wicked and ungodly Masters that had no care of the Salvation of our souls but suffered us to run headlong into these everlasting flames Oh that all Parents and Masters of Families would seriously consider these things and in time labour to prevent them by a conscionable discharge of the duties belonging to their places and relations R. 3. Justice and equity requireth this at your hands to do your utmost endeavour to train up your Children and Servants in the fear of God and to instruct them in the wayes of Godliness that as they help you in many things so you should be a means to help them in this that as God of his goodness hath made them your Children and Servants so you in way of gratitude should strive to make them his Children and Servants And truly though you feed them well and cloath them well and provide well for them yea and teach them how to live another day to live as men yet if you teach them not withall the fear of God whereby they may live as Christians which will make them live for ever wherein do you differ from Heathenish Parents and Pagan Masters for even they will not be wanting in the former things which the Apostle implyeth where he saith He that provideth not for his Family is worse than an Infidel And if you go no further than to make outward provision for the bodies of your Children and Servants you are no better than Infidels and Heathens And therefore how doth it concern you who are Parents and Masters of Families to have a special care of the souls of your Children and Servants by a conscionable performance of holy and religious duties amongst them as Praying Reading Catechising and the like whereby you will not only go beyond all the Heathens in the World but likewise gain an hopefull evidence to your own souls of the truth of grace in you and of the sincerity of your profession that ye are Christians indeed R. 4. The curse of God hangs over those Families in which Religious duties are alltogether neglected yea it abideth in their houses as the Wise man expresseth The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked Howsoever they may seem to abound and flourish in all Worldly wealth and riches yet the curse of God is upon all that they enjoy For as the Lord speaketh by his Prophet Malachy He will curse their blessings that is whatsoever outward good things they did enjoy should be cursed to them Whereupon saith Eliphas in Iob I saw him taking root but I cursed his habitation that is I saw him seemingly setled in his outward prosperity but by the eye of faith I likewise saw a curse hanging over his house and family over his wealth and riches R. 5. Another Reason may be taken from the manifold benefits and commodities wich usually follow upon a conscionable performance of these duties 1. Religious duties consciensciously performed will bring down Gods blessing upon your selves and your relations upon your estate and all your undertakings As God blessed Obed-Edom and all his houshold for the Arks-sake So questionless will the Lord bless those Families wherein holy duties are faithfully performed For Godliness is profitable unto all things having the promise of this life that now is as well as of that which is to come Whereupon saith